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Home / Entertainment

Celebrities who were extremely wealthy well before they became famous

news.com.au
7 Aug, 2017 02:01 AM4 mins to read

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Edward Norton, Jaden Smith and Julia Louis Dreyfus. Photos / Getty

Edward Norton, Jaden Smith and Julia Louis Dreyfus. Photos / Getty

By Natalie Wolfe.

As soon as actors, models or singers hit the big time, they're looking at some pretty solid pay cheques.

And, while these celebs have no doubt won the fame game, with or without their celeb status, they would've been okay.

Here's the celebrities who were filthy rich well before they were famous.

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS

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Louis-Dreyfus might be known for Seinfeld, Veep and The New Adventures of Old Christine but long before the actress tried her luck in Hollywood, she was already living the high life.

The 56-year-old actress is heir to a multi-billion dollar shipping fortune that was built by her great-great-grandfather in France in the mid-1800s.

When Louis-Dreyfus' father died last year, he left behind an estimated $US3.4 billion.

THE MARA SISTERS

They're two of the most sought after actresses of their generation with Kate garnering fans worldwide for her role in House of Cards and Rooney (born Patricia) scoring an Oscar nod for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but their family's money doesn't come from showbiz.

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Turns out, both of the sisters' great-grandfathers founded two of the biggest teams in America's National Football League.

Their mother's side of the family founded the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 1933 while their father's side founded the New York Giants in 1925 - and both families still run and have ownership in the teams.

And while their Hollywood careers might be vastly different to the world of NFL, the sisters clearly still have a whole lot of love for the sport.

"[Football] is the glue that holds our family together," Rooney told The New York Postin 2009.

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CARLY SIMON

If you've ever picked up a book, chances are pretty high it's from the publishing company Simon and Schuster.

The co-founder of the company was Richard Simon whose daughter happens to be one of the world's most successful singer-songwriter's Carly Simon.

The You're So Vain singer was the third of four kids in the Simon family and clearly embraced her father's passion for words by becoming a prolific songwriter while she was still a teenager.

THE HADID SISTERS

Both of the Hadid sisters are raking it in these days after they scored lucrative modelling contracts with the likes of Guess and Victoria's Secret but, with or without a modelling career, the famous sisters would definitely be alright.

Their father Mohamed Hadid is one of the world's most successful real estate moguls and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

EDWARD NORTON

You mightn't of heard of the name James Rouse but you've definitely heard of shopping malls.

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The Fight Club actor comes from a pretty talented family considering his grandfather James Rouse was credited with inventing the commonplace way the world shops now.

Rouse was a hugely successful real estate developer and renowned urban planner which earnt him the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton in 1995.

Norton regularly speaks about his grandfather's contributions including to socially conscious urban design and serves on the board for Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organisation for developing affordable housing.

THE SMITH SIBLINGS

When your dad is regularly ranked as the world's most bankable movie star, it's safe to assume you'll have a privileged upbringing.

Despite Will Smith almost going bankrupt in the late 80s, the hugely successful actor turned his finances around significantly, eventually buying a California mansion that's now worth well over $A50 million.

The sprawling mansion is so huge in fact, it has its own postcode along with a tennis and basketball court, numerous pools and a massive lake.

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He and wife Jada's son and daughter, Jaden and Willow, now live out of their family's mansion and have pursued careers in fashion, acting and music.

ARMIE HAMMER

When Hammer played the Harvard-educated, weekend-rowing Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, the role wasn't much different to his real life.

The actor, whose real name is actually Armand Douglas Hammer, is the great-grandson of Armand Hammer, one of the world's biggest oil tycoons and owner of Occidental Petroleum.

He also, controversially, continued to trade with the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was involved with the socialist and communist movements.

Armie Hammer's father is also an entrepreneur with businesses in the publishing and film production industries.

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